Born in Badsey, fewer than 20 miles from New Road, Daryl Mitchell became the first Worcestershire captain born inside the county since Maurice Foster in 1925 when he was appointed to the position full-time at the end of 2010.

It was the making of him. Not only did Worcestershire recover from a 37-point deficit to Glamorgan to win Championship promotion in 2010 (Mitchell enjoyed his best year to date with 1,180 runs at an average of 42.14), but they defied their small budget and a host of high-profile departures in recent years by avoiding relegation the following season.

They fared less well in 2012 with Mitchell's form dropping sharply. But, in 2014, Mitchell was prolific in leading his side back to Division One. He amassed more than 1,300 Championship runs, with five centuries, and was named as captain in the PCA's 'team of the season.' For the first time, there were also suggestions that he might be the man to add a bit of solidity at the top of the England order.

A classical opening batsman and useful limited-overs medium-pace seamer, Mitchell made his debut for Worcestershire in 2005. It took until 2008 to gain a regular first team spot, but he repaid the club's faith with more than 900 runs as the club gained Championship promotion that year and followed with a 1,000 runs in a season for the first time the following year in Division One.